


Midnight Escapist

by reikis



Series: Melody of the Reminiscing Star [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 12:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21428521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reikis/pseuds/reikis
Summary: It was the same dream. Over and over.
Series: Melody of the Reminiscing Star [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540690
Kudos: 11





	Midnight Escapist

Hades sat up in his bed, grumbling with a hand resting against his head. His entire body screamed out in protest as he turned to stare at the empty bottle of wine on the nightstand to his right. He moved to find purchase on it but missed the nightstand and landed on the floor.

He found something that hurt more than the dull ache he was already feeling, that was for sure. He forced himself up and moved to sit on his bed. He sighed in relief and looked at his worn palms, peaking just past his long sweater sleeves. His veins seemed far more pronounced than normal, bringing him concern.

He gathered his strength and stood up from his bed to take long strides across the large bedroom to stare out the window and to the night sky. He frowned, finding the stars were covered by heavy-hanging clouds. Surely, another day of snowfall as was common throughout the empire proper. He closed the curtains and walked over, stumbling a bit as he went.

He stopped at the doorway to his room, his vision shaking. He brought a hand against the trim of the door and It felt as if the world trembled around him. He forced the door open and entered the main room, breathing in heavily as if it had been suffocating him. He winced as he took in the sudden light of the room.

He didn’t quite recall leaving any lights on. He walked over to the window next to the piano and parted its curtains to reveal the same night sky as before. He furrowed his brows and shut it, darkness encompassing the room. He backed away in surprise, a hand over his chest.

_Dong._

He let out a yelp and turned to find he had backed into the piano, touching a few of the keys.

He swore he had lowered the cover but here the keys were exposed. He rested a few fingers on the piano, testing the keys. He let go and placed his hands against his ears, the result being horribly out-of-tune. His eardrums felt so sensitive to the horrible sound. He immediately covered the keys as to not experience sensation again; re-tuning the piano could wait.

The Architect gave an uneasy murmur and turned to walk towards the kitchen with slow strides. He stopped to glance to the couch, finding a plain white robe draped over its back. He walked over to it and raised it, examining it. It was certainly too small for him, meant for a shorter person. He lowered it quickly.

He was too tired for all this.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him shook violently. He felt onto his behind with a crash. He rubbed his tailbone as the shaking subsided for the moment. He looked down and stared at his reflection in the oddly shining tile. He couldn’t steady his vision, staring at the multiples of himself before–

His Amaurotine self.

He stared at his own long white hair and shining gold eyes before quickly standing and backing away. He held a hand up and snapped but nothing happened. He turned to it, it hanging high in the air, and breathed in hastily. He snapped again and only sparkles of gold surrounded his arm.

He felt cold.

He dropped to his knees and let out a cough, a horrible feeling overcoming his lithe form. He wrapped his arms around his stomach as it swelled inside him and blood left his lips.

_Thud._

Hades brought his head up when he heard a door closing. He looked to the heavy doors that led out of his chambers beneath his messy bangs. He urged himself to his feet, still coughing, and ran. By Zodiark, his front room wasn’t this long, was it? He ran and ran with the thought in the back of his mind until he reaches the doors and throws them wide open.

It was like the night sky. Stars – no, more like the dense soul that only an Amaurotine would have – decorated his view. He took a step into the darkness, lights of white vibrating frivolously. He reached for them but fell into what seemed to be a never-ending midnight.

It was so terribly, achingly familiar.

He reached forward and a violet enveloped him. And suddenly the Darkness choked him.

It was Him.

* * *

He awoke with a start. His eyes slowly focused on the burning cityscape before his eyes.

How many times did he have to stare at this?

How many times did he have to relive this nightmare?

The same unending dream?

He ripped his red mask from his face and threw it to the ground, watching it clatter. He stood up but fell with a stumble, his legs shaking. His eyes widened as they drifted upward and settled upon a robed figure in the distance. He steeled himself and dashed as fast as he could, nearly falling as he went.

“...us!! Please, please...!”

The other red-masked Amaurotine winced at the calling of his name, the plead for him to wake. Everything about him was in pain, his body screaming out. He felt it center in his chest. It felt like something had torn through his aether entirely. He finally opened his eyes to find the white-haired man staring down at him, but he was fading quickly.

Hades jerked, it clear he was fighting tears.

“H-Ha... Hades...” he choked out.

How many times did he have to watch him suffer?

Hades felt his own aether swell and gather within him as he stopped fighting the tears. He took Elidibus in his arms and the man reached a hand up behind his head with a grunt, blood seeping past his lips.

“Stop smiling...” Hades begged, increasing his grip.

Something boiled within him.

He reached out for that spell: The spell that would save everyone. The one the Convocation had been over. The spell they argued over for tireless bells. _They_ had been against it. There had to be another way–

No.

No, no, no, no.

No healing could help him. The power of those creatures–

He shook his head and tightened his grip.

“H... Hades... you...” he managed beneath him.

“Quiet...” Hades whispered meekly. His eyes widened as he felt the man's aether slipping out from him. “I’ll make everything right...”

He reached a gloved hand into the air and gave one mighty snap. His aether exploded from him and Darkness overcame everything.

This was the only way.

For their star.

For their people.

For him.

_Zodiark._


End file.
